819
FXUS65 KBYZ 012355
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
555 PM MDT WED APR 1 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- LIGHT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS AND MOUNTAINS SNOW INTO THURSDAY
MORNING.
- WINTER STORM SETTING UP TO IMPACT THE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY. PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS,
BIGHORN FOOTHILLS, AND NEAR THE DAKOTA BORDER.
- WIDESPREAD GUSTS 25 TO 40 MPH, WITH A FEW GUSTS OVER 50 MPH OVER
THE BIGHORN FOOTHILLS THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
- WET, COOL, AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE HAZARDOUS FOR YOUNG
LIVESTOCK. TRAVEL MAY BE IMPACTED BY WINTRY CONDITIONS.
- TURNING DRIER AND WARMER OVER THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
THROUGH TUESDAY...
UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL ALLOW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OVER
THE MOUNTAINS AND LIGHT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE IMMEDIATE
FOOTHILLS TO CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY MORNING. LITTLE TO NO
ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS.
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WILL SEE AN UPPER LOW MOVE ACROSS WY/SOUTHERN
MT, BRINGING WIDESPREAD BREEZY CONDITIONS AND PERIODS OF MODERATE
TO HEAVY WET SNOW FOR SOME LOCATIONS. PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS
RAIN FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS, WITH A LOW CHANCE (10-30%) FOR
THUNDERSTORMS, ALTHOUGH NO STRONG STORMS ARE EXPECTED. MODELS HAVE
TRENDED TOWARDS FAVORING AREAS EAST OF BILLINGS AND SOUTH OF THE
YELLOWSTONE RIVER, ESPECIALLY NORTH FACING ASPECTS OF THE PRYOR
AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS AND CONTINUED TO TREND DOWN FOR LOCATIONS
FROM BILLINGS WEST, OUTSIDE OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. FOR THE
PRYOR AND BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, THERE IS A 75+ PERCENT CHANCE OF AT
LEAST A FOOT OF SNOW, WHILE THE ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH AND CRAZY
MOUNTAINS HAVE A 40-60% CHANCE OF THE SAME. EAST OF THE BIGHORN
MOUNTAINS, THE HIGHER HILLS HAVE A 50-70% CHANCE OF AT LEAST 6
INCHES OF SNOW, INCLUDING ALONG I-90 FROM LODGE GRASS SOUTH. NEAR
THE DAKOTA BORDER, MORE UNCERTAINTY REMAINS AS ANY DEVIATION IN
THE TRACK OF THE LOW WILL DETERMINE IF 2 TO 4" FALL (LOW END
AMOUNT) OR 8 TO 12" (HIGH END AMOUNT). FOR THE BILLINGS AREA, SNOW
HAS TRENDED MUCH LOWER, WITH ONLY A 15-30% CHANCE OF MORE THAN 2
INCHES.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY WILL SEE BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS
ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. WINDS WILL GENERALLY GUST AROUND 25 TO
40 MPH, BUT THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR STRONGER GUSTS, ESPECIALLY OVER
THE BIGHORN FOOTHILLS FRIDAY MORNING INTO AFTERNOON. CURRENTLY,
THERE IS A 40-70% CHANCE OF A GUST GREATER THAN 50 MPH IN THIS
TIMEFRAME. WITH THE SNOWFALL AND BREEZY WINDS, BLOWING SNOW MAY
REDUCE VISIBILITY AT TIMES. VIST WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS FOR THE
LATEST WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS.
AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY, ENSEMBLES
ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT FOR RIDGING TO BUILD OVER THE REGION,
BRINGING HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 50S AND 60SF BY SUNDAY AND
DRIER CONDITIONS. ARCHER
AVIATION
00Z TAF DISCUSSION...ISOLATED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH SUNSET OVER THE AREAS WEST OF BILLINGS INTO THE MOUNTAINS.
CEILINGS FROM 2.5-5KFT CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR SHOWER ACTIVITY.
AFTER SUNSET ALL TAF SITES CAN EXPECT VCFG WITH SCATTERED AREAS OF
FOG OVERNIGHT UNTIL AROUND 15-16Z TOMORROW MORNING. CLEARING
CONDITIONS DEVELOP LATE MORNING, BUT BY EARLY AFTERNOON MIXING
INCREASES ALONG WITH CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS BY
MID AFTERNOON AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE
AREA. WINDS GUSTING 20 TO 30KTS OUT OF THE WEST/NORTHWEST WILL
BECOME COMMON AROUND 20-21Z. CHAMBERS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 035/055 034/044 030/061 034/062 035/057 036/069 038/059
28/T 98/W 10/U 00/U 11/E 01/B 23/W
LVM 034/050 030/046 027/057 032/061 034/058 036/066 037/057
59/T 97/W 00/U 00/U 00/B 01/N 24/W
HDN 033/060 032/042 026/060 029/062 034/060 033/072 035/061
19/T ++/W 30/U 00/U 11/B 11/B 34/W
MLS 031/055 029/037 026/055 031/057 031/051 031/067 035/057
06/W 9+/J 30/U 00/B 11/E 10/B 12/W
4BQ 032/058 030/036 026/052 030/058 032/051 032/067 036/060
17/W 9+/J 50/U 00/U 11/E 10/B 12/W
BHK 027/046 025/035 023/047 027/051 025/045 024/059 033/056
05/W 89/J 50/B 00/B 11/E 10/N 12/W
SHR 029/059 027/038 023/053 027/059 029/057 031/068 034/059
29/T ++/J 40/U 00/U 11/B 01/B 23/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THURSDAY TO 6 PM
MDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES 30-31-57-173-235.
WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH
LATE FRIDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES 32-33-36-37.
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THURSDAY TO MIDNIGHT
MDT FRIDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES 58-138-169.
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON THURSDAY TO 6 PM MDT
FRIDAY FOR ZONES 67-68.
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THURSDAY TO 6 PM MDT
FRIDAY FOR ZONE 171.
WY...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THURSDAY TO MIDNIGHT
MDT FRIDAY NIGHT FOR ZONE 199.
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THURSDAY TO 6 PM MDT
FRIDAY FOR ZONE 198.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page